Amankila

Our stay at Amankila in Bali was great. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm smiles and the feeling of being 'home' again, despite never having visited this particular Aman. We booked a Garden suite but were upgraded to an Ocean suite. It's not over-the-top luxurious, but the design is timeless and works well. But I feel like the in-room amenities could be better, seamlessly blending new technology into the overall service experience. Aman is conservative though, so I doubt we'll see that anytime soon. I'm a big fan of architect Ed Tuttle and in particular the work at Amanpuri. This one is maybe a little impersonal with all the stone and big pools, I think the 'grandeur' of the property could have been toned down a little bit. It's hard to not like the Balinese decor and the private terrace overlooking the sea, where I could unwind and soak in the serene atmosphere. Service is as expected at an Aman; just great. Location; so-so, far from everything, but not remote. Value for money could have been better, but it seems like all Amans have increased in price in the last couple of years.

Going to Amankila is a unique experience. Yes, it is expensive. But, it is worth it at least once in a lifetime. As this was my second visit, I knew what to expect, but I had forgotten how good it was. From the moment you are greeted by the staff, you are treated as an honored guest. At Amankila they don’t know the meaning of “no”. My traveling partners and I realized we were in the Aman cocoon when we went to dinner at the restaurant next door, “Sea Salt”, and Laurent the Food and Bev manager at Aman had called ahead to make sure they understood our food allergies. Once you enter the Aman door, every person knows your name, they check you in at your room, and everything is done at your pace. They shuttle you to the local village and pick you up, offer suggestions. The menus are basically “suggestions” and the chef, Jati, will come out to discuss any questions. You want fettuccine Al pesto, no problem. Leaving was difficult. The only thing I would mention is that there are quite a few stairs. There isn’t an elevator and not really any ramps. Captain Morgan

Grace, beauty, poise and elegance typified the Amankila team. From a wonderful greeting to the restaurant team watching over you from afar to ensure that your water glass is full (or more importantly your chilled glass of wine is refreshed) each and every assistance is delivered by a world class team. Amankila is set in a beautiful location. To be here is relaxing, quiet and almost zen-like. Our ocean view room was as it should be in this type of establishment but don’t expect a TV and you find almost immediately that there is more need to disconnect to enjoy your holiday, but if you must the wifi is super fast! Each morning we would step out of our room and onto the expansive private veranda and drink in the site. Beautiful butterflies and small sweeping birds are almost escorting you down to the restaurant for breakfast. The swimming pools are beautifully laid out and there is even an Olympic sized swimming pool by the beach club steps to the beach. From lazy lunch dining by the beach to dinner in the main restaurant the food served and service from start to finish was first class. Yes getting here from the airport is 1.5 hours but on your drive you get to see the local life going about its day and then you enter the manicured grounds and at that point you switch off and you are in a different world of relaxation and it’s perfect! Thank you for such hospitality!

Amankila delivered a quietly luxurious and service-oriented stay. We would absolutely return. After pouring over reviews of Bali’s top hotels for months, we’re incredibly happy we decided to stay at Amankila. The grounds are truly breathtaking (not a leaf out of place during our visit). The villas are excellently designed and have an authenticity not available at brand new resorts. The food was very good overall and we found the variety to be solid. But the biggest highlight was the service. From the moment we were picked up by an Amankila driver to the moment we were dropped off at the airport, the service was amazing — anticipating our needs before we even realized them in a subtly, unobtrusive way. The beach and housekeeping staff in particular should be commended for going the extra mile. A few things to note: The pictures are absolutely accurate. What you see is what you get — in all the best ways. That iconic three-tiered pool is a showstopper, but so are the beach club, restaurants, and hidden corners all over the gorgeous property. The beach was pristine during our visit, a testament to the staff cleaning it each day. The beach cabanas were the perfect spot to spend the afternoon! Other reviewers have been critical of the container ships waiting to enter port. Bali isn’t a private island so some slack needs to be given. We actually viewed the ships as entertainment by counting them each day, noting which had left, etc. It’s all how you view any situation and we chose to approach it with a positive light. The villas are gorgeous and massive. They’re well maintained and we could not fault them. We had the privilege of staying in a pool villa and infinity pool villa. We actually preferred the greater privacy of the pool villa. It was incredible to dine next to our private pool. And it was especially magical coming “home” after dinner in the restaurants to see a few candles placed around the pool! Again, the staff makes memories at every turn. For experiences, we didn’t venture off property here as we’d been touring Bali for two weeks. However we did book a private poolside dinner and massages. Both experiences were very good. The thing to note is that we wish we’d have reached out earlier to book a private beach dinner as it wasn’t available during our stay. This is one area where staff could actually be more proactive in advance. Overall, Amankila and it’s staff lived up to our very high expectations and — now that we’re home — we are dreaming of our days spent at Bali’s “peaceful hill.”